Marketing, advertising & media intelligence

Given that an insurance claim is equally undesirable for both the insurer and the insured, State Insurance has launched a new campaign that it hopes will ensure that Kiwi drivers don't get to the stage where they have to deal with the unceremonious clang of metal colliding on the tarmac.

The 'motor services pack' campaign, launched via Colenso BBDO on Easter Monday, gives State clients exclusive access to a range of deals at VTNZ, Z and Bridgestone via a specially designed app that can be downloaded from the insurance company's website.

“Partnering with Z, VTNZ and Bridgestone has allowed us to offer some great deals to our customers and reward them for their loyalty on an ongoing basis,” says State marketing manager Emma Scoringe.

Once the app has been downloaded, State clients need only display their phones at the participating stores to benefit from the range of discounts on services offered by the participating stores.

At the moment the app is only available for iPhone users, but the State website says that a Google Play version will be launched in early May. Those who don't have an iPhone and don't want to wait for the release date of the Google version can however download vouchers by entering their State insurance details on the website.

To spread awareness of the campaign, State has also launched a 30-second TVC, which was shot under the directorial guidance of Finch's Jae Morrison.

Morrison collaborated with Hollywood production designer Phil Ivey, cinematographer Duncan Cole and Andrew Timms and Mat Ellin at Beryl to produce elaborate, forced-perspective sets. These sets, viewed from a specific angle, create the illusion of a car accident. When the camera moves, it reveals the damage never happened.

“Usually with an insurance ad, you’d expect crashed cars to get repaired. This commercial was about prevention, so we needed a technique that showed crashed cars, which were revealed to be undamaged. Forced-perspective models and screens allowed us to do just that, while making the reveal really watchable,” says Morrison.

This approach marks a significant divergence from the usual insurance advertising narrative that promises to repair the damage once it's done.

Research from the New Zealand Transport Agency suggests that vehicle faults were reported as a contributing factor in around 446 of all crashes during 2008, with the most common faults being worn tyres, punctures, faulty brakes and insecure loads.

Interestingly, the issue of worn tyres is afforded specific attention in a radio ad that is currently airing as part of the campaign. The two-part ad first explains that a person with treaded tyres is likely to stop in an emergency situation, while the second section uses the sound effects of a crash to illustrate what is likely to happen when tyres become worn.

Since such contributing factors can be avoided if car owners keep their cars in a roadworthy condition, this move by State could be seen as a means by which car owners are encouraged to keep their vehicles in good condition.

According to a release from Colenso, State also intends to roll out a range of further promotions that build on this premise in the coming months.

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On Monday, Whittaker’s launched its latest novelty chocolate-lolly mash up with a chocolatey answer to retro bakesale treat coconut ice. The Coconut Ice Surprise chocolate has a twist though, 20c from each block goes to Plunket – a charity which New Zealanders agree is a worthy cause. However, to relate the chocolate to the charity, Whittaker's has built the campaign around baby gender reveal parties, causing a backlash from the public who argue gender norms have expanded beyond blue for boys and pink for girls.

Genius From Elsewhere

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With over 10,000 fires occuring in South Korea residential homes every year, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance has created a flower vase that doubles as a throwable fire extinguisher. The hope is it will raise awareness to the public safety issue of home fire safety.

2

Advertisers have stopped buying ads on YouTube after their ads appeared on children's videos where pedophiles had infiltrated the comment section.The New York Times investigates the comments.

3

The internet has been up in arms about a supposed 'Anti-LGBT' emoji, featuring a rainbow flag alongside the "no" symbol. However, according to Time, the emoji causing offence is actually "an unfortunate implementation of the standards that govern how text is displayed on our device".

4

This year, Super Bowl audiences were treated to a 45-second video of Andy Warhol eating a Burger King Whopper. It was certainly a campaign unlike any before, but did it work? Adweek takes a look.

5

As of 1 March, Queenslanders will be able to include one of five emojis alongside their licence places. The options—the laughing-crying face, the winking face, the sunglasses face, the heart-eyed face, or the classic smiley face—are courtesy of Personalised Plates Queensland.

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